Clippings: Kawhi Leonard wants a new starting point guard

In recent news that is probably not altogether surprising, Kawhi Leonard reportedly wants the LA Clippers to upgrade the point guard position this offseason.

That came from Stephen A. Smith on “First Take” last week, and frankly, that report is beyond plausible because it fits nearly every offseason analysis about the Clippers.

Perhaps it was the wackiness of 2020, but current starting point guard Patrick Beverley’s durability came under scrutiny this season, and Beverley’s status as a defensive specialist screams he’s a player who is a natural fit as the backup at the position, especially at this point in his career.

At any rate, a distributor who can feed the offensive options on the floor and who can put up some baskets himself is an obvious need for the Clippers, but of course, how will they get that? There are some options out there — Fadeaway World has an intriguing listicle of five players to target, my choice from that would be Jrue Holiday, an LA native who may be more than tempted to move on from a transitioning New Orleans Pelicans team. With no first-round draft pick this year, the Clippers are likely going to have to trade for an upgrade, and some eggs will need to be broken in the process, so to speak.

More news for this Friday:

• Trade PG13? Shaquille O’Neal thinks the Clippers should trade Paul George, a notion that sounds pretty silly unless another team is offering an upgrade. I mean, George struggled in the bubble but I feel like it’s nuts to cut bait unless there’s some kind of irrevocable split in the team or something.
• Chemistry issues from lack of playing time: Tyronn Lue explained during his introductory press conference this week that the lack of chemistry on the Clippers came from the players just not getting enough games together this season. Before you come back with, “Of course the then-assistant coach would say that!” it is the simple answer, right? That tends to be the right one.
• Kawhi needs to step up: This is a pretty deep dive from Matt Moore, and while I think his assessments at times may be a bit harsh, I think this is a solid column breaking down the issues the Clippers need to deal with, including his call for Kawhi to do more in the future.
• RIP Quibi: Yes, we had the Clippers documentary on it, but mobile-only short-form Netflix-style $2 billion boondoggle Quibi is closing up shop after six months. The Ringer has a suitable not-quite-eulogy for it.